Jalvinder Singh, stabbed several times in his cab late last month, survived on the operating table despite a collapsed lung, massive bleeding and the fact his heart stopped beating for 15 minutes. One knife wound missed his heart by a centimetre.

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A Royal Melbourne Hospital heart surgeon said he had not expected Mr Singh to pull through.

A frail Mr Singh, speaking for the first time since the attack, said he had not yet told his mother back in India he had almost died after being stabbed while driving a cab.

"I've spoken only once with my mother," Mr Singh, 23, said yesterday.

"I told her that I was all right. She doesn't know the real thing. She only knows it's a little bit (of an) injury."

When asked if he was going to tell his mum the full story, he replied: "No. I don't want to make her worry."

A passenger stabbed Mr Singh up to four times in the chest in Clifton Hill about 1am on April 29.

His alleged attacker has since appeared in court on seven charges, claiming that he does not remember the knife attack.

Mr Singh said the attack did not reflect the attitude of Australian people.

He said he would remain in Melbourne, where he was studying a hospitality course.

"Most Australians are very good," he said.

"People sent me cards to get well soon. I am thankful to the taxi drivers and my friends and all those Australians who prayed for me.

"I am very grateful to this hospital, this doctor and the staff who gave me a new life."

Royal Melbourne's cardiothoracic surgeon, Alistair Royse, described Mr Singh's survival as a miracle.

"His heart slowed down and stopped completely," Mr Royse said.

"We commenced open-heart massage. At that point we needed to think quite seriously about whether we did continue because he had been in a protracted period where he had very poor blood pressure and oxygen levels."

After successful surgery, Mr Singh spent several days sedated in the hospital's intensive care unit.

"On paper, it was as though he had no prospects of survival. But not only has he survived he, I believe, will make a full and complete recovery once his wounds have healed," Mr Royse said.

"Therein lies the miracle."

When asked if he would go back to driving cabs, Mr Singh said: "Maybe. Time will say."

The attack on Mr Singh led several hundred irate cab drivers to successfully protest for safer working conditions.